In His Arms
by Mai Sode no Shirayuki
Summary: Sweet IchiRuki romance! Rukia finds out why Ichigo always rolls over to her side of the bed.Major fluff! IchigoXRukia!


**Hey every one! The inspiration for this one just hit me at school yesterday and I just had to write it asap! So I hope you guys like it!**

Rukia sighed as she rolled over in her sleep. As usual, her husband was taking up three quarters of the bed, laying spread eagled on his back. She was left to curl up on the very edge of the bed. She growled softly and attempted to shove him back over to his side. But he was so damned heavy!

She turned to glare at him, punching him lightly on his arm. The orange-haired man didn't even stir. Rukia continued with her shoves and pushes until she was finally able to reclaim some space on the bed. But as Ichigo rolled away from her, he took the blankets with him!

So now, she was lying on her side, cold and unable to fall asleep! And she had had such a tiring day! Being the vice captain of the thirteenth squad was no easy feat. Especially with Ukitake-taicho ill again, a lot of responsibility fell on her shoulders. She glanced at her husband again. This was all his fault! Her tired body was unable to get the rest it needed, and tomorrow was just going to be another busy day!

Though she supposed in all fairness, he probably had a hard day too. He was after all, captain of the third squad. A flash of pride sparked in Rukia's eyes. Her orange-haired husband was something of a celebrity in Soul Society. On top of becoming a shinigami.... without actually dying, he had also defeated Aizen almost single-handedly!

And then of course, there was the matter of their marriage. While it was highly untraditional, it was supported by almost everyone. Even her nii-sama had implied that he was almost proud to have Ichigo in the family. And Yamamoto sou-taicho had almost begged Ichigo to accept a captain's position. And he had of course accepted. A sudden blush rose on her face as she remembered the reasons he had given her for his immediate acceptal.

"I would do anything to be close to you Rukia" he had said, his amber eyes burning intensely.

So now they were permanently settled in Soul Society as a happily married couple.

And Rukia was constantly subjected to questions about her famous husband. She wondered why people didn't just ask him these questions, but then she figured it probably had something to do with that permanent scowl of his. Well...almost permanent, she amended as she gazed at his sleeping form. His scowl was gone, leaving a small, serene smile that almost took Rukia's breath away. She leaned over, intending to brush her lips over his, quite unable to resist the – dare she say it – cute look on his face.

But then she remembered that she was supposed to be mad at him and pulled back at the last second.

But really, Ichigo was almost too popular for his own good! Rukia scowled as she remembered the previous week, when the couple had gone on a date. One that Rukia had been looking forward to, since they both had been busy for quite some time. As they were walking through the streets, she had noticed lots of heads – female heads – turning to stare at her tall husband. Some of them even had the audacity to approach Ichigo and engage him in conversation, all the while ignoring her as if she were invisible.

Rukia scowled at the memory.

_Needless to say, Rukia was in a horrible mood by the time they reached the restaurant. Ichigo noticed the spike of anger in her normally calm reiatsu and turned to look at her, smirking slightly._

"_Jealous are we?" he questioned the expression on her face smugly._

_If possible, Rukia's scowl deepened and she glared at her husband._

"_Hardly! Hmmph I don't even know why those women are all so interested! I mean what's to look at?" she said, her gaze travelling up and down the tall figure next to her, "Gah I mean, if anything, there's a lot to laugh at! You're so tall and skinny! Not to mention that hair...."_

_And then she could no longer formulate words._

_Her husband had spun her to face him, leaning over slightly so his face was almost level with hers. And she had to remind herself to breathe. Coherent thoughts fled her as his honeyed amber eyes gazed into her own violet orbs, communicating intense unspoken feelings. Had she just been questioning his looks? Because now she couldn't seem to stop staring!_

_And then he pulled her petite form flush against him, his lips at her ear. His hot breaths sent thrills down her spine._

"_It's a pity that the only one whose opinion matters to me seems to find me so unattractive." He whispered softly into her ear. And then he pulled back to look at her, and a smug smile formed on his face._

"_But then again, why are you staring?"_

_Before Rukia had a chance to defend herself, his lips were on hers, sending her straight into blissful oblivion. And she clung to the front of his shirt trying to keep herself from collapsing. (her legs didn't seem to work anymore)_

Then of course, there were the random, awkward questions that seemed to follow her wherever she went. From the usual "Does he snore?" to the slightly embarrassing "Boxers or Briefs?". One elderly woman had even asked her if he was a gentle kisser! Rukia had almst fainted at that question. It seemed that everyone wanted to know about her reclusive husband.

And when she complained about the incessant questions to Ichigo, he would laugh at her, always making her recount the questions and the answers she gave.

"_So," he laughed after she finished telling him about how she had been mobbed by a group of academy students, begging her to answer their questions. "Tell me love, do I snore?"_

_Rukia suppressed the automatic flutter of her heart at his use of the word love. Even after marriage, her husband's few affectionate words had the ability to turn her bones to jello._

"_Yes! You do! And loudly too!" she answered vehemently. Which was of course, a lie, as Ichigo slept very quietly. _

"_You're lying." He stated, a mischievous glint in his eyes._

_Rukia flashed him a grin. "Yea, but the students didn't know that!" she laughed._

_And then her scowling husband pounced, pushing her back into the cushions of the sofa, tickling her sides fiercely, sending her into fits of uncontrollable giggles. She squirmed under him, trying to control her breathing at attempting to glare at the smirking man hovering over her. Just as she felt tears beginning to spring to her eyes from all the laughter, Ichigo's fingers ceased their motion._

_He gently wiped away the moisture from the corners of her eyes and leaned down to lightly kiss her lips, chuckling slightly when Rukia attempted to follow him as he pulled away._

"_Ne Rukia, want to find out if I wear boxers or briefs?"_

Rukia blushed as she remembered what had happened after that. She glanced over at her husband, who was still asleep, thankfully! Rukia rarely blushed, but when she did, Ichigo never failed to tease her about it.

All of their friends were amazed by their relationship, awed by the deep bond that the couple shared. Everyone was surprised that the two hot heads were able to have such a happy married life. Rukia had tried to explain countless times that their almost constant bickering was a part of showing their love for each other, but no one seemed to understand. Her female friends all looked at her with pity when they heard of Ichigo's lack of romance and displays of affection. How was Rukia supposed to explain to them that it was his complete unabashed honesty that she loved? The simple truthful was that he said 'I love you' never failed to tinge her cheeks with red and send her reeling into bliss.

And when they got together for a girls' night out, her giggling, slightly inebriated friends would begin the discussions about the favourite parts of their respective spouses and partners. And the question would always be asked.

"What do you love the most about Ichigo, Rukia?"

Yet she could never seem to put into words that she simply couldn't choose one thing. She loved every single facet of Kurosaki Ichigo. from his volatile temper that matched his unusual hair colour, to his determination, his unpredictable reiatsu, his special, soft husky voice that he only used with her. (the list could go on for ever.)

But Rukia supposed that if she absolutely had to choose, then the thing she loved the most about Ichigo would have to be his eyes. They were, quite literally, the windows to his soul. Even when his face was completely emotionless, all his wife had to do was look into his eyes and she would instantly know his inner thoughts and feelings. At times his amber gaze burned with the intensity of his strongest emotions, and at other times they were pools of warm liquid gold, embellishing his calm moods.

His beautiful amber orbs were Rukia's strongest weakness. When he held her gaze in his own Rukia felt as if she were in a trance. His intense, unwavering stare never failed to turn her legs to jelly, and make her heart pound rapidly against her ribcage, sending her reiatsu into an uncontrollable frenzy. When he looked at her, she felt as if she could drown in the love he portrayed in those eyes.

With that thought, Rukia rolled closer to her husband, all previous irritation evaporating as she felt her love for this tall, vibrant man overwhelm her. Ichigo stirred and his eyes opened to find his wife's violet gaze on him.

"Rukia? Why're you awake? And why are you so far away?" he asked confusedly, his voice husky from sleep.

She sighed and shook her head at him. "I'm awake because you're hugging all the blankets and taking up all the space!" she whispered.

"Sorry" he said contritely. "Here, come here." His arms opened, beckoning her closer, nearer to him. She molded herself into his embrace, her head resting against his muscular chest, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Are you mad?" he asked quietly. "I'm sorry I took up all the space." He stroked her hair softly.

"It's ok Ichigo, I'm used to your sleeping habits by now." She chuckled slightly, nestling closer to him in response to the attentions on her hair.

Ichigo felt the need to explain himself.

"I only come over to your side because you keep moving away, woman. You know I only ever sleep well when you're in my arms!"

Rukia melted at his words and wrapped her arms tighter around his abdomen. Ichigo chuckled and flinched slightly as she pressed her cold nose against his chest.

"I'm sorry I made you cold." He whispered softly. "Let me make it up to you."

He gently rolled so that he was hovering over her, her back flat on the bed. Rukia's heartbeat increased rapidly as his smouldering gaze travelled up and down her nightgown clothed figure. His hands pinned hers at her sides and he sslowly moved his head, gently placing feather light kisses at her temple. His lips travelled down her cheek, to her jawline, nibbling slightly and Rukia had to restrain a moan.

And then his lips moved to the sensitive spot behind her ear and Rukia nearly fainted. Only Ichigo could make her feel this way without even kissing her!

He raised himself to look into her eyes once more, amber orbs burning with intensity.

"I love you Rukia." He whispered softly before leaning in and capturing her lips in a breathtaking, heart stopping kiss.

And the small part of Rukia's brain that was still functioning figured that the next time he rolled onto her side, she'd just move closer to him. Because she realized that she always slept better in his arms too.

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**Please Review! Tell me what you guys thought and if i should continue writing IchiRuki stories! Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks!**


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